“...We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.”
     President Ronald Reagan
     Omaha Beach, June 6, 1984

World War II was, in the words of historian John Keegan, “the largest single event in human history.” Since the earliest records of Man, covering more
than 3,000 years, our planet has seen nothing to approach the scope of the Second World War. With the exception of the Arctic and Antarctic, the war
touched every continent on earth.

The Pacific War had its own superlatives.

1. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor comprised the largest fleet of aircraft carriers ever assembled.
   
   
2. The Battle of the Coral Sea in May, 1942, was the first sea battle where no ship of either side saw any ship of the enemy
   
   
3. The naval battle at Guadalcanal, lasting six months from August, 1942, to February, 1943, was the longest sea battle in history.
   Iron
   Bottom Sound was filled with some 100 sunken ships.
   
   
4. The battle of Leyte Gulf in October, 1944, was the largest naval battle in history.
   
   
5. At Okinawa, from April to June, 1945, more American sailors were killed (over 4,900) than in all the other naval battles of the war
   combined. The enemy weapon was the kamikaze suicide plane that first appeared at Leyte Gulf.
   
   
6. The atomic bombs dropped on Japan in August, 1945, were the most deadly weapons in history.

Despite our appalling lack of preparedness at the beginning, the United States won the war due to the combined efforts and team work of
our land, sea and air forces, employing the resources that our “arsenal of democracy” provided. Winston Churchill called this “triphibious
warfare.” During our one week journey in Hawaii and California, we will visit three types of vessels of World War II – the aircraft carrier
Hornet, the submarine Bowfin, and the battleship Missouri. We will see World War II aircraft on the Hornet, and at the Pacific Aviation
Museum at Pearl Harbor.

Education sessions, covering the strategies, the leaders, and the battles of the Pacific War, are included to enhance our understanding
of how the Greatest Generation progressed from Pearl Harbor to the Japanese surrender, September 2, 1945, on the battleship Missouri.

Most of our historians are graduates of West Point or have taught at West Point; all have advanced degrees.

Ample time is set aside for leisure activity in Hawaii. Golf in Hawaii is world class, and our hotel has a wonderful spa. Nature lovers can
follow the more than 600,000 persons each year who make the two hour hike to the top of Diamond Head. The guided hike is inexpensive;
the view from the summit of Oahu and the Pacific Ocean is breathtaking.

We will have ocean view rooms at the Marriott Resort at Waikiki Beach.

Our trip promises to be among our most memorable and enjoyable. We hope that you will join us.

Our program will begin this afternoon at 5:00 at our hotel with an education session by our historian.

The Gathering Storm:
Japanese Agression in China and Indo-China “Divine Right” to Conquer

Ever since 1904, when the Japanese Navy annihilated the Russian fleet in the Russo-Japanese War, the U.S. Navy knew that Japan was
our biggest threat in the Pacific. The Navy’s War Plan “Orange,” drafted in 1911, became the strategic blueprint for a war against Japan.

But while our Navy recognized the Japanese threat, it was not able to take the necessary steps to oppose it. The U.S. Congress refused
to allocate the funds. The American public was extremely isolationist.

American diplomacy made our situation worse by agreeing to a naval treaty with Japan in 1922 that gave the Japanese a clear advantage.

At the same time, Japan fell increasingly under the influence of right wing extremists who were roughly similar to Germany’s Nazis.
Lacking natural resources itself, Japan believed it had a “divine right to conquer” neighboring countries to form, under Japanese rule,
a “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.”

Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931. The 1937 Rape of Nanking by Japanese troops was a precursor of later atrocities to follow. Japan
renounced the 1922 naval agreement in 1936 to begin a large scale naval buildup. By 1941, Japan had twice as many warships in the
Pacific as the U.S., the Netherlands, and Britain combined. Japan then invaded French Indo-China (today’s Vietnam.)

In 1940 Japan concluded a Tripartite “Axis” Pact with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

Our education session will cover the pre-war period in the Pacific and the American response to these events.

There will be a get acquainted reception (cash bar) at 6:15, followed by dinner at 7:00.

Morning Education Session, 8:00 AM To understand World War II in the Pacific, we must understand the aircraft carrier and the central role of the fast carrier task force in attacking the Japanese across the Pacific. Our education session will focus on the aircraft carrier and the decisive Battle of Midway, where our carrier based dive bombers sunk four Japanese carriers and a cruiser. We lost the carrier Yorktown and a destoyer. The opposing fleets never came into sight of each other. USS Hornet Aircraft Carrier Museum "The Lord your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished.". Deuteronomy 7:20, NIV Marines on patrol at Guadalcanal As the Lord sent the hornet against the enemies of Moses, our Navy has since 1775 sent a Hornet against our enemies. The first two ships in the new Continental Navy were HORNET and WASP. In 1805 the second Hornet carried our marines to the shores of Tripoli. The 7th Hornet, aircraft carrier CV-8, was the launch carrier for Jimmy Doolittle’s raid against Japan in April, 1942. The ship fought at Midway and at Guadalcanal where it was sunk in the battle of Santa Cruz. The 8th Hornet, aircraft carrier CV-12, was launched in November, 1943, and saw 15 continuous months of action in the Pacific combat zone.   Under air attack 59 times, she was never hit.   Her aircraft destroyed 1,410 Japanese aircraft. Only ESSEX exceeded this record.   Her air groups destroyed or damaged 1,269,710 tons of enemy shipping.   10 HORNET pilots attained “Ace in a Day” status.   30 of 42 VF-2 Hellcat pilots were aces.   72 enemy aircraft shot down in one day.   255 aircraft shot down in a month   Supported nearly every Pacific amphibious landing after March 1944.   Scored the critical first hits in sinking the super battleship YAMATO.   In 1945 launched the first strikes against Tokyo since the 1942 Doolittle raid.

The B-25 Mitchell piloted by Lt Col James H. ‘Jimmy’ Doolittle takes off from the Hornet, April 18, 1942, bound for Japan. The15 other B-25s were successfully launched within one hour of Doolittle’s departure. The Doolittle Raid caused little physical damage to targets in Japan, but was of great psychological value to the American side.

USS Hornet (CV-8) - This well-known shot shows a Japanese aircraft seconds away from crashing into Hornet’s island. Another enemy plane is passing horizontally above the ship forward as aircraft strafing pelts the waters off her starboard side. Wisps of smoke on the after portion of the flight deck mark where bombs have already hit.

USS Hornet (CV-12), completed December, 1943 The 24 carriers of the Essex-class comprise the largest number of major combat vessels ever built to the same design by any nation in history. These 33,900 ton (full load displacement) ships were the centerpieces of the fast carrier task forces that decisively defeated the Japanese during 1944 and 1945.

“Far-stretching, endless Time brings forth all hidden things, and buries what once did shine.
The firm resolve falters, the sacred oath is shattered; and let none say, “it cannot happen here.”
Sophocles, Siege of Troy - About 450 B.C.

“The Japanese will not go to war with the United States.We are too big, too powerful, and too strong.”
Vice Admiral William S. Pye
Commander Battle Force, Pacific Fleet
December 6, 1941

Afternoon Education Session, 5:00 PM

Our education session will reflect on the attack of December 7, 1941, and why we were caught asleep. There were four separate investigations into
the issue of our unpreparedness; yet the question of responsibility is still debated today. We’ll discuss the conduct of our commanders at Pearl Harbor —
Admiral Kimmel and General Short — and of President Roosevelt and our top officials in Washington.

Perhaps the most crucial lesson of Pearl Harbor — along with September 11, 2001 — is to remember always the warning of Sophocles, some
2,400 years ago. Never assume that “It cannot happen here.”

USS Arizona before December 7 Commissioned in 1916, the battleship was the third U.S. ship to carry the name Arizona.

USS Arizona hit on December 7

USS Arizona Memorial

4th Day, Tuesday Two Education Sessions - Day of Leisure

Back to Top

Morning Education Session, 8:00 AM
Hell on Earth for the Navy and Marines
Guadalcanal and Its Battles
Triphibious Warfare

Although the Battle of Midway is usually considered the turning point of the Pacific War, the Japanese forces remained on the offensive after Midway.
It was at Guadalcanal, the first American offensive of the war, that the Japanese advance was stopped and the Americans gained the initiative.

Guadalcanal was a six month campaign of numerous land battles, almost daily battles in the air, and seven major naval engagements. No campaign
in World War II in any region saw such sustained combat—on land, on the sea, and in the air — where the outcome remained uncertain for so long.

Our education session will cover this epic struggle, and its combination of land, sea, and air combat, called by Winston Churchill “triphibious warfare.”
This three dimensional combat was to serve as a model for subsequent battles across
the Pacific.

Day at Leisure

Ko’olau Golf Club

GOLF in Hawaii is world class. Our hotel will assist golfers to arrange tee times at Ko’olau Golf Club.

Ko’olau Golf Club is one of the most inspiring experiences that a golfer will ever play. It offers breathtaking
views of majestic cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and the Pacific Ocean. Set on the beautiful windward side
of Oahu, Ko’olau’s natural setting encompasses over 280 acres of spectacular terrain. Golf Digest has
named Ko’olau as one of the top two courses in Hawaii.

Nature lovers can follow the more than 600,000 persons each year who make the two hour hike to the
top of Diamond Head. Guided hikes are offered; the view from the summit of Oahu and the Pacific Ocean
is breathtaking.

Experience the perfect balance of mood, body, and soul at the Spa Olakino Salon inside the
Waikiki Marriott Resort. The Spa embraces the concept of Olakino, a state of well being and health.

Enjoy total relaxation in the soothing environment of this luxury Spa. Enjoy the sun, sand and
surf at the beach and Pacific Ocean.

Afternoon Education Session, 5:00 PM
American Leadership
Douglas MacArthur - American Ceaser
The Leap Frog Campaign

General MacArthur wades ashore at Leyte, October 1944

There were many warnings about a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The first came as early as 1924 from General Billy Mitchell. This controversial
advocate and prophet of air power predicted that an attack would begin at 7:30 AM. He was wrong by 25 minutes.

The final warning came at 07:10 on December 7 from two army privates, who first tracked the Japanese planes at 07:02 on the radar scope at the
radar site at Opana at the northern tip of Oahu. Their warning was ignored by the duty officer at Fort Shafter, who thought that the incoming aircraft
on the radar screen were American B-17s scheduled to arrive from California at 08:00.

We will visit the site of the radar station, now a National Historic Landmark, and read the detailed description of that terrible mistake.

The drive along the north shore is beautiful. With the Ko’olau Mountain Range to the West and the Pacific to the East, we’ll pass through small
villages and towns, farms and cattle ranches, and some of the finest beaches in Hawaii. This is the “real Hawaii.”

“Give me a fast ship for I intend to go in harm’s way.”
John Paul Jones

“Seamanship, just like anything else, is an art. It is not something that can be picked up and
studied in one’s spare time; indeed, it allows no spare time for anything else.”
Thucydides
History of the Peloponnesian War
431 to 404 B.C.

Morning Education Session, 8:00 AM
Which Way to Tokyo? MacArthur vs. Nimitz
Leyte Gulf — Largest Naval Battle in History

USS Hoel (DD-533) Sunk at Samar, October 25, 1944 Cdr. Leon S. Kintberger, Commanding Officer The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, James D. Hornfischer, Author

Day at Leisure

Afternoon Education Session, 5:00 PM
More Hell on Earth for Navy and Marines
Iwo Jima and Okanawa

On Iwo Jima American casualities were higher than casualties of the Japanese defenders. A Marine wrote in his diary:
“It takes courage to stay at the front on Iwo Jima. It takes something we can’t tag or classify to push out ahead of those lines, against an
unseen enemy who has survived two months of shell and shock, who lives beneath the rocks of the island, an enemy capable of suddenly
appearing on your flanks or even at your rear, and of disappearing back into his hole...  It takes courage to crawl ahead, 100 yards a day,
and get up the next morning, count losses, and do it again. But that’s the only way it can be done.”


Admiral Nimitz wrote about the Marines at Iwo Jima:
“Uncommon valor was a common virture.”

Okinawa was worse. It was the toughest and most prolonged of any battle in the Pacific since Guadalcanal. Okinawa cost our Navy 34 ships sunk,
368 damaged, more than 4,900 sailors killed or missing, and over 4,800 wounded.

Army and Marine ground troops lost 7,613 killed or missing, and 31,800 wounded. As Winston Churchill wrote to President Truman on June 22, 1945,
“This battle is among the most intense and famous in military history.”

Our education session will cover the strategic importance of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and some details of the battles on the land and sea.

USS Bowfin (SS-287)

Bowfin Crew returning from patrol

Bowfin Crew accepts Presidental Unit Citation

Morning Education Session, 8:00 AM

Submarine Warfare
“The submarine will one day become the Navy’s most deadly weapon.”
Robert Fulton (1765 - 1815)

USS Missouri (BB 63) Of the eight million tons of Japanese shipping sunk during World War II, American submarines sank some five million tons, about sixty percent. Our submarines also served as lifeguards, rescuing 520 aviators who had to ditch their aircraft in the ocean. Among those rescued was Lt(jg) George H.W. Bush, whose Avenger was shot down at Chi Chi Jima in September, 1944. But the price was high. We lost 52 submarines, about 22% of those in service, making submarine duty the most dangerous of all service during World War II. USS Bowfin (SS-287), USS Missouri (BB-63) This afternoon, we will return to Pearl Harbor to visit the submarine BOWFIN, which served with distinction during the war. Observing the cramped quarters of this vessel will make us particularly grateful to those men of the “Silent Service.” Earlier, we visited USS Arizona, where World War II began. This afternoon, just a few yards from Arizona, we will visit where the war ended — the deck of the USS Missouri. Kamikaze aircraft just before hitting USS Missouri The Missouri (BB-63) was the last battleship ever built by any country. Although the battleship in World War II was displaced by the aircraft carrier as the primary combat vessel, the huge ships still played a major role in protecting the carriers against enemy planes, and providing off-shore fire support for our amphibious assult troops. We will have a guided tour of the Missouri and see where it was hit by a Kamikaze plane in April, 1945. We will also see where the Japanese surrendered on September 2, 1945. We will visit the Pacific Aviation Museum, located in a hangar that survived the December 7 attack. We will see a B-52 similar to one flown from the USS Hornet by Jimmy Doolittle and his pilots on their epic raid on Japan, April 18, 1942. We will also see a SBD Dauntless dive bomber, similar to those that sank four Japanese carriers in the Battle of Midway. The balance of the day is at leisure.

"It is still an unending source of surprise for me to see how a few scribbles on a blackboard or on a sheet of paper could change the course of human affairs." Stanislaw Ulam Scientist at Los Alamos F6F-5 Hellcat prepares to launch from USS Yorktown (CV-10), February 1945. The Hellcat replaced the Wildcat in 1944 as the primary carrier based fighter. Afternoon Education Session, 5:00 PM The Atomic Bomb The Emigre Scientists The Potsdam Conference President Truman’s Decision Albert Einstein wrote to President Roosevelt in October, 1939, informing the President that “the element uranium may be turned into a new and important source of energy in the immediate future.” Einstein added that the Germans were doing research on uranium and called for “watchfulness and quick action” on the part of our government. Einstein’s initiative led to the enormous scientific effort to build an atomic bomb, known as the “Manhattan Project.” From the chain reaction achieved at the University of Chicago to the work at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico, the Manhattan Project brought together an extraordinary group of scientists — many of whom were European Jews who had fled from the menace of Nazi Germany. President Truman made the decision to drop an atomic bomb on Japan. But the Government of Japan could have avoided the devastation, if it had surrendered earlier. The Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Colonel Paul Tibbets, the aircraft pilot, waves before takeoff from the island of Tinian. At the Big Three Conference in Potsdam July, 1945, the Potsdam Declaration of July 26 called on the Japanese Government to “proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all the Japanese armed forces... The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction.” Receiving no reply from the Japanese, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6 and on Nagasaki on August 9. The Japanese surrendered on August 14. Our education session will cover the making of the atomic bomb and the momentous events during the summer of 1945, which ended the war on September 2 on the USS Missouri.

USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945 Admiral Nimitz, with General MacArthur and Admirals Halsey and Forrest Sherman standing directly behind him, signs the Japanese surrender document on behalf of the United States. General MacArthur had earlier signed on behalf of the Allied Nations.

This morning we will be transferred to Honolulu Airport to board our return flight to San Francisco.
Cocktails and a meal will be served in flight, and a movie will also be available.

Upon arrival in San Francisco, connect with your onward flight home or stay longer to enjoy the
City by the Bay.

Deposits and Final Payments
An initial deposit of $300 per person must be sent with the reservation(s). Final payment is due two months before departure.

Responsibility
These tours are under the operation and management of Matterhorn Travel Service, Inc., 3419 Hidden River View, Annapolis, Maryland 21403. The Tour Operator shall be
responsible for supplying the services and accommodations as outlined in this brochure, except to the extent that such services and accommodations cannot be supplied
due to delays or other causes beyond its control, in which case the operator will use its best efforts to supply comparable services and accommodations. The Tour Operator
reserves the right at its discretion to change the sequence or alter any part of the itinerary or hotel accommodations, without prior notice for any reason; but in the event of
substantial reduction in the services rendered, a proportionate refund will be made to tour participants upon written request to the Tour Operator. If there is a major change
in the itinerary, participants will be notified before departure and offered an opportunity to cancel with full refund.

In the absence of negligence by the Tour Operator, the Tour Operator accepts no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delays or changes in air or other
services, sickness, weather strikes, or other causes. All such losses or expenses will be borne by the passenger. The tour member waives any claim against the Tour
Operator for any damage to or loss of property or injury or death of persons due to any act of negligence of any hotels, or any other persons rendering any of the services
or accommodations included in the ground portion of the itinerary. The Tour Operator shall not be responsible for any delays, substitution of equipment or any act of omission
whatsoever by the carrier, its agents, servants and employees, and tour member hereby waives any claim arising therefrom. Tour participants agree that the Tour Operator
has no responsibility or liability of any nature whatsoever for loss, damage or injury to property or person resulting from air transportation. The air carrier provides insurance
for the protection of passengers and performance within the provisions of its tariffs. The Tour Operator reserves the right to decline, accept or remove any tour member as a
participant of these tours at any time. If any tour member is removed from the tour, a proportionate refund for unused services will be made.

Cancellations/Refunds
Refunds cannot be made to any passenger who does not complete the tour. In the event of cancellation by the Tour Operator, Tour Operator's liability shall be
limited to a refund of all payments made by the tour participants to Tour Operator.

All cancellations and requests for refunds must be submitted in writing to the Tour Operator. If cancellation in writing is received by the Tour Operator more
than two months before tour departure, an administration charge of $75 per person will be retained. For cancellations received within two months of departure,
the following cancellation charges apply:

Two months to one month before departure: 25% of the tour price
One month to one week before departure: 60% of the tour price
Less than one week before departure: No refund

Insurance
Trip accident, health and baggage insurance is recommended. Cancellation insurance is also available and is particularly recommended. Details will be furnished
upon request.

Baggage
One suitcase per person (50 pounds) may be taken on the trip. The liability of the carrier for loss or damage to personal baggage shall be limited to the actual
value of such baggage but not more than approximately $9.07 per pound in the case of checked baggage and approximately $400 per person in the case of
unchecked baggage or other property. (Domestic-actual value not to exceed $500.)

Airport Transfers
Airport transfers are provided only for passengers arriving and departing Honolulu via flights reserved by the Tour Operator. Passengers using different flights
are responsible for their own airport transfers.

Special Note
Prices quoted are based on air fares and taxes as of September 15, 2007. Prices are subject to change prior to departure. Participants will be notified in writing
at least two months before departure if there is any increase in tour price. There is no credit for unused services. Forwarding of participants' deposit(s) indicates
acceptance of these terms and conditions.

THE AIRLINES participating on this tour are not responsible for any act, omission, or event during the time the passengers are not on board their airplanes or
conveyances. The issuance of the passage contract by the airline concerned shall constitute the sole contract between the airline and the purchaser of this
tour and/or the passengers. In addition to the participating airlines, the services of any IATA and ARC carrier may be used in connection with these tours.

This program is valid from February 23 to November 22, 2008.